MOORESTOWN — As head of her own nonprofit, Kristen Babcock typically helps the homeless during the cold months, but tragedy doesn't wait for the weather.

Babcock has opened up her own home to a suddenly homeless family who has suffered several life-altering tragedies since June.

The family of five became homeless and was living in their car after losing everything in a fire at their Philadelphia home. The car was then totaled in a crash that left father Timothy Jones in the hospital with injuries.

Nakesha McKethan and the couple's three children had started living in a Philadelphia park.

“I could not find a shelter for them, so I drove to Broad Street and Girard (Avenue) on Friday afternoon while Mr. Jones was still in the hospital and brought them back to my house until we could get them back on their feet again,” said Babcock, who founded the nonprofit Code Blue Collaborative that works with area shelters to feed and clothe the homeless.

But on Sunday, more tragedy struck.

Jones, who also had been recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, died from accident-related injuries in a Philadelphia hospital.

“I had planned to then take the family to a local motel for a few days, then get vouchers from the Salvation Army to stay somewhere else for a few more days and hopefully get them in with Interfaith Hospitality Network, but since the news Sunday night about the father I was not comfortable taking them to a motel,” Babcock said.

“The mother is in a state of shock and I'm concerned about the children being in a healthy environment.”

So for now, McKethan, 9-year-old daughter Brianna and 6-year-old twin boys Quarim and Quazim are staying with Babcock, her husband Michael Babcock and their three children.

“They are so wonderful. I would not know what to do or where to go without them,” the 36-year-old McKethan said Monday night, sobbing and then holding back tears over their plight and Jones’ unexpected death the night before.

“Me and my family, we thank them so much and everyone else who has done everything they can for me. I totally appreciate it so much.”

The South Jersey community has stepped up to help too.

Jennifer Lopez, another Moorestown woman, has started a Facebook donation page for the family while others have responded with contributions or other offers of help.

McKethan said she is still trying to deal with the death of 52-year-old Jones, adding she is “in shock” that she will never see him again and that in three weeks' time, her entire world has been altered.

“I don’t have the heart to tell my daughter her daddy is gone — and I don't even have the money for a funeral.”

At the time of the June 9 fire, Jones was working at his job as a pizza deliveryman. McKethan and the children were sleeping but escaped the two-story rental home in Port Richmond.

Lopez met the homeless family at the scene of the June 29 accident on Route 38 between Kings Highway and Lenola Road because she was friends with the driver of the other car and was summoned to the scene.

She discovered the family was homeless after she talked to police and saw a few plastic tubs filled with some medical and other supplies in the vehicle but no clothes except for what they were wearing.

“I felt like I needed to do something. I could not walk away from this and leave a family with nothing. I have six kids or I would have asked her to stay with me,” Lopez said. “So my friend and I sat down on the curb with her and prayed and gave her all the cash we had on us so they could eat and try to find a motel to which the police offered to drive them."

Lopez contacted Babcock for help finding a shelter, and created the Facebook donation site, which had raised about $5,000 as of Monday.

Via text messaging, Lopez has kept in touch with McKethan since the accident and last week received a large enough donation from a friend to book her a hotel room in Philadelphia the night before Babcock rescued the family.

“She called me late last night hysterical after she got the phone call from the hospital,” Lopez said Monday.

Babcock and Lopez both urged the public to contribute to the family and expressed appreciation to those who already have stepped forward, such as Perkins Center for the Arts and Mark Morgan of the Moorestown Theater Company, both of whom offered free arts camp for the kids.

The Babcocks also are trying to find a job for McKethan, who previously has worked as a home health aide.

“The community rallying around this family, complete strangers, and just showing so much compassion regardless. It’s such an amazing thing to be part of,” Lopez said.

Babcock said 10 to15 people are stopping by her home every day with donations that include clothes and even computer tablets for the children.

“I think at this point I don’t want to bounce them around to a homeless shelter. I intend to try to find them more permanent housing,” Babcock said.